PCHS girls’ soccer bests Stansbury in OT thriller

Frustration was building for the Park City High School girls’ soccer team going into overtime against Stansbury on Thursday afternoon at the North 40 fields.

After taking a 1-0 lead on a goal from Lindsay Gordon, Park City allowed Stansbury to equalize in the second half. Following several offside penalties and missed opportunities, regulation ended with the score 1-1, meaning the teams would square off in two 10-minute overtime periods, with the first team to score earning the victory.

The first 10-minute overtime ended with the score still tied at 1. But, shortly into the second overtime, Evie Edwards received a pass from a teammate on the left side of the Stansbury goal. From there, she sprinted up the sideline before angling toward the net and firing a shot that deflected off the goalkeeper and found its way across the goal line for the game-winning score.

Park City Coach Chip Cook said she was proud of Edwards for returning from a second-half injury to make a big impact in overtime. She said it was nice to see Edwards speed through the Stansbury defense with a chip on her shoulder.

"That’s the thing about Evie — we’ve always known she has that kind of speed," she said. "We’ve got great team speed. We haven’t had her out wide and I felt like that wasn’t utilizing her speed as well as we could have. We switched it up a little bit and put Evie out wide and opened it up for her to be able to run a little bit. She got really hurt in the second half, but came back with a vengeance. I love seeing that mental side of her game develop."

Cook said she was happy with the way the Miners responded against a physical Stansbury squad.

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"I’m proud of the way they fought," she said. "They came through some amazing adversity. A couple kids got really physically beaten up and came through it with flying colors. They responded by, instead of physical play back, letting their play talk. Evie is a perfect example. She came back and scored the winning goal. It was that grit and determination that I love to see."

Cook noted that Park City’s defense had a great game as well, despite missing a senior leader.

"Claire West was out sick today, so Bailey Hodgson hopped back into the middle with Bailey Hoglin and they did a great job," she said. "[Stansbury has] a player who has 21 goals so far this year and Kristen Mosher marked her and kept her in check the entire game. She did a fantastic job at a pretty new position for her. I just love what they’re doing."

Helping the defense with a strong game of her own was goalkeeper Hannah Gardner, who Cook said kept the patchwork defense organized and alert all afternoon.

"Hannah did so many things well today," she said. "Her communication back there was spectacular. It was so nice to have that commanding voice. It’s comforting to everyone in front of her that there’s such a commanding force back there. She did a great job — she’s a quality goalie with tremendous skills."

After a rough preseason schedule, Park City (3-6-1 overall) is now 2-0 in Region 10 play. Cook said the team proved how much it has improved with the big win over Stansbury.

"It was a huge confidence builder," she said. "[Stansbury is] ranked No. 1 in 3A in the entire state right now. [Our confidence] is building by the day. They’re understanding that they need to step out on the field and take the result from the other team. Nobody’s going to give it to them. Park City has a traditionally solid soccer program and we have a target on our backs. People want to play well against Park City. Now we’re getting that fire, too, and saying, ‘You know what? We’re going to come out and take this from you.’ I love seeing that fire."

Park City’s next game is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 3:30 p.m. against Grantsville at the North 40 fields in Park City.